clarovscrasoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“claro” and “craso” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#273
“claro” frequency rank
#38,614
“craso” frequency rank
38887
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature claro craso
Definition De tono cromático poco subido. Inexcusable (que no puede ser perdonado).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set claro and craso apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
claro
5 ch
craso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. claro ([ˈklaɾo]) and craso ([ˈkɾaso]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

claro is recorded at frequency rank #273, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈklaɾo]. craso is at rank #38,614, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɾaso].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 38887, this pair ranks #167,550 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of claro vs craso

Shared letters: acor. Private to "claro": l. Private to "craso": s.

"claro" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "craso" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clarocalro · cclaro · claor · clarro · cllaro · clrao · lcaro
  • crasoccraso · crasso · crraso · crsao · rcaso

Frequency comparison

claro#273
craso#38,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "claro" and "craso" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklaɾo] versus [ˈkɾaso]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "claro" or "craso"?
"claro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #273 in our Spanish list, against #38,614 for "craso". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering claro vs craso

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “claro” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list